SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 13: A gay pride and an American flag hang from a shoulder bag during a demonstration outside of the Phillip Burton Federal Building on June 13, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Sponsors of Proposition 8, a California ballot measure that would deny same-sex couples to marry in the state, are back in court today to ask a federal judge to nullify U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's decision to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A San Francisco State project that aims to improve acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth has created a new handbook to help reconcile the teachings of the Mormon Church with the needs of an LGBT adolescent.

The Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University issued the text as part of its goal to decrease health-related risks for LGBT youth such as suicide, substance abuse, HIV and homelessness.

The decade-old project was founded with the idea of examining how acceptance influences the overall health of LGBT youth. According to the organization, family acceptance greatly improves overall health outcomes for gay youth. As a result, the project has worked to provide parents with the tools they need to prevent LGBT children from feeling rejected and isolated.

The guide combines statistical evidence on the need for acceptance with Mormon scripture and advice from church officials. The goal is crate an environment where LGBT youth can feel comfortable with their sexuality without the need to abandon the faith, family or friends.

The Mormon Church is not alone in teaching that homosexuality is a sin, but the faith is the first to be targeted by the project with a guide because the faith is so strongly intertwined with family life. Members of the faith were targeted for criticism in 2008 for supporting California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage .